The twins each took one of my hands and led me onto the ice. For a split second I hovered on the thin blades of my new skates before my legs went out from under me and I fell hard on my bottom. The twins tumbled after me, all of us ending up together in a laughing heap.
The boys leapt up, as if springs were tied to their feet instead of skates. They attempted to help me, but it was no use. Every time I put my feet on the ice, I fell, leaving us all in a fit of laughter.
Alexander, with Fiona on his shoulders, skated up to us.
“Papa, she can’t stand up,” Flynn said.
“Boys, leave this to me.” Alexander lifted Fiona over his head and set her on the ice. She sped away, her little feet sure on the slippery surface.
“Papa, Miss Quinn’s heavier than she looks,” Flynn said.
“Flynn, we never talk about a woman’s weight,” Josephine said as she came to a stop in front of us. What a sight I must be, I thought. A grown woman sprawled on the ice.
Alexander held out his hand and I took it, holding my breath as he attempted to help me to my feet. The skates slid out from under me, and I fell once more on my bottom. My backside was starting to hurt. “It’s no use. I can’t get up.”
He knelt over me. “I’ll have to lift you by the waist. It’s the only way.”
His rich, low voice made my insides do funny flips. “Do what must be done,” I said.
With one knee on the ice and the other leg bent, he reached for me, lifting me easily and then holding me tight against him. My legs wobbled, and I thought I was going down again. I clung to him with my arms around his neck, so close I could see the flecks of yellow in his green eyes. “Falling hurts,” I said, laughing. “Don’t let me go.”
He slipped both arms around my waist and held me upright with the force of his strong frame. “You’ll have to stay this way, it appears, if you’re going to remain on your feet.”
“You shouldn’t tease me,” I said. “It’s terrible manners.”
“Slip your arm around my back.” He shifted so that only one arm encircled my waist. “And let’s see if we can take a turn around the pond. All you have to do is slide one skate forward, then the other.”
Feeling ridiculous, I lifted a foot, then the other. I did this for six or so steps. “It’s working. I’m skating,” I said.
His entire body shook with laughter. “Usually, we glide a little. You’re more stomping than skating. Are you mad at the ice?”
“I would poke you in the ribs with my elbow, but I’m at your mercy,” I said.
The pond was about the width of ten skaters standing side by side and thirty lengthwise. We inched toward the other end as one body. As I felt more secure next to my strong companion, I relaxed and took in my surroundings.
All of my students, other than Louisa and the Cole family, were out on the ice. The Johnson sisters skated by arm in arm, striking in their red coats and hats. Josephine wore a pale green that matched her eyes. She and Fiona skated together with their hands intertwined. Cymbeline had challenged Viktor Olofsson to a race from one end of the pond to the other. Cymbeline’s brown eyes were furious as she chased behind him. If one were to win on will alone, it would be Cymbeline. However, a nine-year-old boy and a small girl of six were no match. Viktor won by at least two feet. Cymbeline fell on her knees and pounded the ice.
“She’s mad at the ice,” I said to Alexander.
“What will we do with our sassy one?” he asked. “She has to learn about defeat.”
Flynn coasted by with his red scarf flying behind him and shouted words of encouragement. “You’re doing great, Miss Quinn.” I laughed and raised a hand toward him, then almost lost my balance. My partner steadied me with a firmer grip around my middle.
As we neared the tip of the pond, the three Cassidy girls stepped onto the ice and immediately started twirling like ballerinas. They were all small in stature but strong as little oxen. Alma had told me they’d been expected to help at the family dairy farm from the time they could walk.
“How sweet they all are,” I said.
“Little beasts,” he said. “Every one of them.”
The sky was the brilliant blue I’d already grown accustomed to, and the sun warmed my back despite the chill. The mountains loomed above like magnificent white giants. With each passing day in this fresh air and Lizzie’s nourishing meals, I was growing strong and sure of my destiny. I was the schoolmistress of Emerson Pass. The first teacher in a town made from the grit and courage of men and women who’d come in search of a better life. Yes, I was here in the modern age with bathrooms and a luxurious home to stay in, so it wasn’t as if I had anything to do with what had made this place special. But I was here now. I would shape the future through my influence on the young people who twirled about me now. I had the chance for love and family.
“What’s my favorite teacher thinking about?” Alexander asked.
I looked up at him. “I was thinking how happy I am here. The hue of the sky.” I gestured toward the sound of a winter sparrow’s song. “That, there. Do you hear him singing?”
“Yes, he’s giving us a concert.”
“Back home, I spent so much energy simply surviving,” I said.